Google Invests in Chinese Browser Startup

Someone needs to keep track of TechCrunch’s success-rate with their rumor-mill postings (which I am sure is high). Arrington is at it again, with “multiple sources” telling him that Google has invested $1 million into Maxthon Browser a startup that offers a browser popular among users in China.

Maxthon has had over 80 million downloads of its browser, and over half of its users are in China. Maxthon-originated searches may account for up to 25% of total Baidu traffic, according to one source.

We’ll wait and see how far this relationship develops. Obviously Google has plans to change the browser’s default search engine option from Baidu to Google, but they probably could have worked out that deal, without actually investing in the company.

Anyone familiar with Maxthon? Maybe they have some other technology that Google finds interesting.

http://www.nxplorer.net nXplorer

As far as I know the default search engine in Maxthon is not Baido but Yahoo. At least thats what they say in the Techcrunch comments.

http://www.tysonkirksey.com Tyson

Interesting that Google would invest in a browser powered by the Internet Explorer engine. Maxthon has been around for a while, and I know several people who swear by it.

http://software.allaboutthese.org Jonix

Google has to catch all opportunities in china. If they want to be number one in china, things like this must happen more often.